The present invention relates generally to a mechanical golf ball feed apparatus and more particularly, to an automatic mechanical apparatus for continuously placing golf balls onto a tee.
A popular axiom in the sport of golf is that improvement cannot be achieved without practice. This has helped drive the popularity and success of driving ranges wherein a golfer can practice multiple golf shots in order to diagnose or improve his game. Traditional driving range methodologies commonly dictate the golfer remove a ball from a basket, bend over and place it on the tee, position himself, swing the club to drive the ball, and repeat the procedure. Although this method may be commended for its simplicity, it can pose both an inconvenience as well as an interference towards effective practice. The golfer using standard driving range techniques must break his stance after every swing in order to replace the golf ball on the tee. This interferes with the golfer""s ability to develop a feel for a proper swing. The feel of a proper swing is believed by many to be a cornerstone of game improvement. By requiring the golfer to break his stance, position, and mental concentration in order to re-tee up another ball, the traditional driving range techniques leave considerable room for improvement.
One redress for the problems associated with traditional driving ranges has been through the use of automated golf ball teeing apparatuses. These systems have been designed to accommodate electrically powered teeing, mechanically driven teeing, and combination systems. Although numerous systems and apparatuses have been developed for automated teeing, often these systems incorporate elements that render them impractical or undesirable for actual implementation on a driving range. Electrically powered teeing systems, for example, can require electrical wiring and extensive retrofitting of present ranges. Driving ranges, however, are often operated on a low budget cost structure that renders such retrofitting impractical. In addition, remote location and exposure to the elements can further reduce the desirability of electrical systems. Also not to be overlooked, routine maintenance, damage repair, and product failure must often be handled by the driving range staff. Electrical systems can require technical expertise and costly maintenance that may not be practical or desirable in many driving range scenarios.
Mechanical systems are often utilized in an attempt to minimize the undesirable factors associated with electrical systems. Often, however, these designs incorporate their own set of flaws that hamper their performance or their practical implementation. One such category of mechanical designs can be identified as user actuated mechanical designs. User actuated mechanical designs, as opposed to fully automated designs, require the golfer to press down on a petal or push down on a delivery arm to place a ball on the tee. Although these systems can be less intrusive than traditional driving range methodologies, they still require the golfer to mentally break from the golfing mode to actuate a teeing operation. In this sense they still interfere with a golfer""s ability to develop a consistent feel or swing. Additionally, often these systems employ a delivery slide. Delivery slides utilize gravity to roll the golf ball down an incline towards an aperture at the end of the slide. The aperture is positioned above the tee such that the ball is deposited on the tee. This method of delivery, however, imparts momentum onto the ball as it reaches the aperture. This momentum can negatively impact the ability of the teeing system to place the ball statically on the tee. Consistently placing the ball on the tee and having it remain there statically can be a fundamental characteristic of a reliable teeing system.
Fully automated systems often employ the delivery slide method as well. These systems can further exacerbate the problem of ball momentum as they are not held down in position by the golfer until the ball settles. Often, the delivery arm, or slide, in these systems automatically returns to an upright position upon the ball entering the aperture at the end of the slide. In these systems, the ball can encounter jostling forces from the returning arm in addition to the momentum induced by the slide. All of these forces on the golf ball can increase the difficulty of placing the ball successfully on the tee and having it remain there until hit. In addition, many automated mechanical systems employ complex systems of gates and actuators to deliver a golf ball to the delivery arm. As the complexity of these systems increases, so does the opportunity for failure and associated maintenance costs. Some systems have tied ball delivery to the impact of the tee by the golf club. These systems can incur high impact stress and thereby further increase the cost of design, maintenance and operation. Finally, some systems require the golfer to pre-load the first golf ball on either the tee or into the delivery arm. This can effect the golfer""s perceived ease of operation and can require the golfer to be instructed on the system"" operation. This can decrease the attractiveness of such a system to driving range operators.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to have an automated mechanical golf ball feed apparatus with reduced ball momentum on delivery, reduced complexity of operation, robust operation, and increased ease of operation.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an automatic mechanical golf ball feed apparatus without the need for electronic components. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic mechanical golf ball feed apparatus with improved ball delivery, user interaction, and operation.
In accordance with the objects of the present invention, an automatic mechanical golf ball feed apparatus is provided. The automatic mechanical golf ball feed apparatus includes a gravity driven delivery arm having a counterweight end and a ball delivery end. The gravity driven delivery arm is movable between a loaded position and a delivery position. The automatic mechanical golf ball feed apparatus further includes a chute in communication with a hopper for dispensing a plurality of balls to a delivery chamber mounted on the gravity driven delivery arm. An impact gate is positioned between the chute and the gravity driven delivery arm. The impact gate includes a ball restraint pivot element having a weight biased end. The impact gate is rotatable between a gate closed position, wherein the plurality of golf balls are restrained from exiting the hopper, and a gate open position wherein one of the golf balls is allowed to exit the hopper.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent when viewed in light of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings and appended claims.